


Abingdon High

by itsjeffersin



Series: AU Works For Waitress [1]
Category: Waitress - Bareilles/Nelson
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Anorexia, Anxiety Disorder, Depression, F/M, High School AU, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, References to Depression, Teen Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-06 13:58:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12212682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsjeffersin/pseuds/itsjeffersin





	1. The First Day

She groaned hearing the alarm go off. She wasn't ready to go back. Not yet. She heard her siblings downstairs. Why they were already awake though she'll never know why. They didn't have to go to school until at least an hour after her. She groaned peeling herself out of bed. She didn't have the energy to deal with school, or her family, or really anything at all.

She put her glasses on quickly getting dressed and fixing her hair. She grabbed a handful of lollipops from the stash she hid in her desk from her little siblings stuffing them in her bag. She unwrapped one of them sticking it in her mouth before heading downstairs just to be greeted by her grinning family as she groaned. "Can't I just leave the house once without you people stopping me." "You need to eat something get hyped up for your first day. It is senior year Dawn." She nodded. "I know. I'm gonna eat at school." Her brother pouted. "How come you never eat with us anymore Dawn?" "I just have a lot to deal with Tyler. It's easier to eat on my own so I can work." He nodded and she smiled. "I gotta go. I told Jenna I'd pick her up." Her mother frowned but nodded and she left driving to Jenna's.

Jenna rushed out of the house quickly when she saw her. Dawn frowned. She had seen how her father would get so she understood why she was walking so quickly. She got in the car and anyone could easily tell she was crying. "You Ok Jenna." She shook her head. "I'm scared." "Your daddy again?" She shook her head and Dawn looked at her puzzled. "I'm pregnant Dawn." Her eyes widened at her. "What?!" "I know..." "Earls?" "Yes." "I'm so sorry." "Please don't tell anyone. Becky already knows but my parents don't, and neither does Earl. If they find out I'm as good as dead." She nodded pulling Jenna into a gentle hug before starting the car again and driving to school.

When they got there they were flooded by Becky and Cal almost immediately. Asking them how they'd been. They just smiled and started chatting with them as if nothing was wrong. The bell rang soon after and they headed to their respective homerooms. She smiled setting down at a desk near the back of the room. She texted Jenna during the pointless period who was complaining because she had HR with Earl who, she claimed, was 'Making her sicker than his monster child was'. 

She noticed a student walk in that she hadn't seen before. It was a rather small town so she knew almost everyone so she knew it had to have been a new student. She shrugged it off and went back to talking to. Another text rang in from Jenna. 'I just told my momma I was pregnant. She said she wouldn't tell my dad. I think I'm safe for now.' She smiled knowing Jenna was ok. She started reading a book on her phone for a while before the bell rang. 

She had first period with Becky who was just as annoyed to be back as she was. The new kid showed up a few more times during the day. In her choir class her theatre class, and her history class. It was the only thing interesting about the day. She wondered why someone would want to move into their small town. During lunch, she sat with Jenna Becky and Cal as she usually did. Grabbing another lollipop out of her bag. They laughed and carried on as they usually did making jokes and carrying on. By the end of the day, she determined the new kid was in four out of her eight classes not including homeroom.

When she got home she quickly went upstairs and got into bed despite the pleas from her brother to play with him. She felt sick but she didn't mind it, it was a dull but pleasant pain, one she had been feeling for quite a while now. She smiled letting herself fall asleep as the pain numbed itself. She would survive.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day came sooner than she would have liked. She ran through the same morning routine as she did every day with no more enthusiasm than she usually did. Her family stopping her at the door as they did every morning. She said again that she needed to pick up Jenna. It was a lie though. Jenna's mother was taking her to the doctor. She got to school early so she sat in the courtyard a little while reading. When the bell for homeroom rang she got up quickly... Only to run into the only other person in the courtyard. 

They both dropped their stuff in shock. She looked up at the person noticing that it was the new kid she noticed the day before. She smiled kinda awkwardly before they both dove down to grab their stuff. Both flinched away as they reach in the same direction before they started laughing. He reached out his hand smiling. "Ogie Anhorn." She giggled taking his hand. "Dawn. Williams." He smiled. "So you're new? Around here I mean. I've seen you in a few classes." He nodded. "I'm new. I've seen you around too. You're in my homeroom right?" She nodded. "I am." She smiled and they picked up their stuff and continued chatting on the way to homeroom. 

Classes went by quickly. She didn't talk to him anymore that day. School ended and she went home. Nothing really out of the ordinary, she didn't feel as sick that day so she actually spoke to her family. Her brother was the most ecstatic to see her out of her room again. He was only six and was rather attached to her. She smiled playing with him. He loved to play pretend so she would do that with him when she felt up to it. They played pirates. She dressed up in her reenactment dress and he put on his pirate hat. She always played the damsel in distress. 

Her parents asked her to eat with them as they usually did to which she declined almost immediately before heading upstairs and starting to read. She took a shower pretty late that night before heading to bed. The next morning went by pretty quickly. She hung out with Jenna for most of it. Ogie didn't talk to her that morning and she was slightly relieved if she was being honest. He kinda weirded her out if she was telling the truth. That was... until lunch rolled around. In the few minutes her friends were in the lunch line he had managed to locate her with a big grin.

"Hi, Dawn." He smiled. "Hi?" She faked a smile turning away from him. He sat down next to her and she groaned. "Haven't you made any friends yet?" He shook his head. "No. Only a few acquaintances. Though you have stricken my interest." She nodded. "Lucky me?" He nodded and started talking. She groaned pulling a lollipop out of her bag pulling the paper off of it and sticking it in her mouth. She was only half paying attention to what he was saying she was scanning the line for Jenna Becky and Cal but no such luck they were still pretty far back in the line chatting happily.

She groaned reverting her attention back to him as he smiled at her. "Is there something in particular you want?" "Well, I was trying to have a conversation with you. We're you listening." "Yeah I was but people don't really ever try and have a conversation with me unless they want something. So you might as well come out and say it before I start to ignore you." "Well, actually I was wanting to inform you of something. You seem like the kind of person who would be into it." "Yeah? What is it?" "There's a reading at Renders Park of the Federalist Papers. Sunday, around seven." Her eyes widened and she looked up at him. She had known about it for months and had even begged Jenna to go with her but she wouldn't.

"How do you know about that?" "I ride in almost every revolutionary war reenactment this state can muster up." Her eyes somehow managed to go even wider and she almost dropped her phone. "I do those too." He smiled at her goofily. "Well. Do you maybe want to go to the reading together?" She almost choked in shock looking up at him. "Maybe. I'll have to see if I can." He smiled widely before getting back up and turning to leave. She blushed deeply. She knew she was going to go. It wouldn't be too bad to have come company to be there with. 

She smiled as Jenna sat down across from her looking slightly puzzled. "Who was that?" "His name is Ogie. He's new." Jenna nodded and Becky and Cal came sitting down with them. Becky was the first to notice her blush and after that Jenna started bugging her about having a crush as she shook her head. "Well, then girl if it's not a crush then what is it?"

"I think I have a date." "WHAT?!"


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the week went by in a blur. She was excited but nervous and had a knot twisting in her stomach. Sunday came quickly, yet not quickly enough. Becky had talked her into letting her do her makeup and taking down her hair. She smiled getting dressed in a purplish sweatshirt and shorts and converse. She sighed shoving her phone in her pocket and leaving the house. She opted not to tell her parents that she was meeting someone. She just told them she was on her way to the reading and they didn't question it.

He was waiting for her at the entrance to the park when she got there and she smiled to herself. She got out of the car and walked over to him as he smiled. They walked inside without saying anything sitting down together at one of the picnic tables. She smiled trying to think of something to say before finally blurting out. "So what made you move here? I mean to this town. It's not really the kind of place people want to move to." He smiled at her. "My mother got a job here. We came here over the summer from the city." "Do you miss it?" "No." "Why not? It's your home isn't it?" He shrugged. "I didn't like it there, and I didn't have any friends to tether me there. So really there isn't much to miss." 

She nodded. "Do you like it here? So far I mean." He nodded. "I do. The people here are a lot nicer. Back home if I would've asked a girl to go to something like this with me she would have laughed in my face." She laughed. "I mean if you had asked literally any other girl at our school would have to but I mean I was already planning on coming. It's nice to have company every now and then." He nodded smiling at her. Eventually, the awkwardness disappeared between them they started talking as if they had known each other forever. 

They talked so much they didn't even realize the event had ended. They stayed there for about an hour after it had ended. They chatted happily until they realized how late it had gotten and laughed at it until they both agreed they should probably leave. He asked her to spend lunch with him the next day and she nodded excitedly. He kissed her cheek and she blushed deeply before heading back to her car her eyes wide. She got home quickly before texting Jenna and telling her everything (with the exception that she was spending lunch with him she would let it play out before getting her excited)

She went to bed with a smile on her face as Jenna blew up her phone. Falling asleep easily the next day came on fast. She got up quickly going through her morning routine. She left the house quickly dodging her parents and leaving. She drove to school and met Ogie in the courtyard. They chatted on their way to homeroom. Classes went by uneventfully. When lunch came around she told Jenna she was going to do some homework in the auditorium. She got questioned intently but eventually let her go. She rushed quickly to the auditorium and Ogie smiled when he saw her.

They sat on the stage leaning their backs up against the proscenium. "I've come to find this is the only quiet place to come during the lunch hour. Even the library is booming this time of day." She laughed nodding. "Well, really we aren't supposed to be in here but they don't mind if theater students come in which is probably why you haven't got kicked out yet." He smiled at her as they chatted. 

Little did they know they had been caught. Jenna and Becky were watching everything from the crack in the door with their mouths agape. They decided they would let her have her little secret for a while but they were confused as to why she didn't tell them. Yet they continued to watch every gentle gesture they made towards each other. Never before had they seen her interact so well with someone she had only just met. 

She laughed with him as they watched. She didn't even flinch as he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head as her blush deepened. She didn't know why but she trusted him. She could look directly into his face without becoming anxious and have to look away as she did with most. She didn't understand it but he calmed her down. He explained his poetry to her and told her about his magic act. She loved his originality. She felt strange. 

She felt comfortable.


	4. Chapter 4

As time went by she became more comfortable with him. During lunches, while they were alone she would casually lean up against him or he would carefully drape his arms over her shoulders. He made her blush and laugh. After a week of them doing this, she finally told Jenna and Becky soon after. They quickly informed her that they already knew and she blushed deeply before retreating back to the auditorium. 

He smiled at her when she got there pulling her up onto the stage as she laughed. He started pouring out random poems that made her smile widely. She laughed at his little limericks pulling a lollipop out of her bag. He chuckled sitting down beside her. "Do you like eat anything other than those lollipops because I haven't seen you eat anything other than those lollipops." Her eyes went wide before looking at the ground quickly. "Oh my god you don't do you?" She shook her head slightly still avoiding eye contact. 

He pulled her into a tight hug which made her jump before pulling back. "Um, do you wanna, talk about it. I'm here if you want to?" She smiled. "Its nothing really. You're the first to figure it out." He nodded. "Money or mental?" "Hmn." "Is it money or is it a mental thing?" "Mental." He nodded. "Well, I'm here if you need me to be." She smiled. "Thank you." "For what?" "For not yelling at me?" "Why on earth would I yell at you." She shrugged slightly before finding the courage to finally look at him. "Last time my mentality started to 'bother' me my parents told me I was trying to get attention and locked me away."

He frowned. "Don't they want to get you help?" She laughed. "My mother is neuroscientist she thinks she can fix me without the 'expensive placebos' as she puts it." He nodded. "There are some days that I can't even bring myself to get out of bed. Mostly weekends but sometimes I'll even miss school because of it." He took her hand in hers and smiled. Well, I'm here if you ever need anyone." She smiled widely at him. "No one has ever offered that before..." "Let's just say I had a friend who was a lot like you." She looked at him confused. "I thought you said you didn't have any friends back home?" "Uh. Well, it was more of a family friend."

She nodded smiling at him resting her head on his shoulder as he gently put his arm around her. "Well, I'm glad I have you to talk too." He smiled. "I'm glad I get to talk to you."


	5. Chapter 5

Once lunch was over their theatre class began. She pulled up a chair next to him which surprised him because they had never actually sat together during anything other than lunch before. His shock made her laugh. "Did I scare you or something?" She smiled widely at him and she grabbed his hand. "A little yes." She giggled leaning her head on his shoulder. "Well, I didn't mean to." "I know." They sat like that waiting for the class to begin getting a lot of smirks from fellow classmates filling in the circle. She smiled as the class began lifting her head from his shoulder grinning widely. 

Once the class was over they walked together until they had to part ways. She smiled to herself walking to her next class. She grinned seeing the teacher was out and sat down with Jenna and she smirked at her as she rolled her eyes. "Don't act like there isn't something you want to tell me." "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." Jenna chuckled. "Please! I won't make any jokes I promise!" "Something makes me not believe you. I wonder what that thing might be." 

Jenna grinned at her. "So are you guys like... a thing?" She shrugged. "I don't know. I like him and we get along." "Then why don't you know?!" "Because stuff like this doesn't happen to me and I'm confused!!" Jenna frowned. "But its happening now isn't it?" "Maybe. It's quite possible he's just stringing me along until the next big thing comes along. It's quite possible that I'm just misreading the situation." "Dawn thats the anxiety talking." "I can't help but let the anxiety speak. THAT IS THE LITERAL DEFINITION OF ANXIETY!" 

Jenna shook her head. "Calm down Dawn, please..." Dawn sighed nodding. "Y'know what. Let us meet him. We've dealt with this stuff we know how to read people. Invite him to sit with us during lunch." Dawn sighed. "Maybe your right..." "I am and you know I am you're just in denial." "I'm going to stick with maybe. Sooo whats the latest with you?" Jenna sighed. "There isn't anything that I haven't texted you, and don't think I haven't noticed you've stopped checking your phone. I'm gonna start calling you if you don't start checking them again" 

Dawn groaned but nodded anyway. "You can still tell me now. Any new news on my future niece/nephew." Jenna groaned rolling her eyes. "Come on as much as you hate it he/she is coming anyway." "We don't know that its a person I mean it could be an alien for all we know." "You aren't giving any more affection towards this poor kid?" "Not everyone wants to be a momma Dawn that doesn't make me a bad person." Dawn frowned at her nodding. "I understand that but everyone deserves at least a little love." Jenna nodded. "I know... I just don't know if I can anymore." Dawn frowned grabbing her hands. "You'll figure it out. I know you will." She nodded looking down at the ground.

The rest of the day went by quickly. She did what Jenna told her to do and asked Ogie to sit with them in the lunchroom the next day. To which he accepted the invitation excitedly. After that, she went home going to bed quickly exited for once in her life, but for that moment she just wanted to sleep.

The next day when she got up she got ready quickly getting out of the house as quickly as possible. She got to the school quickly meeting Ogie outside smiling widely. She sat with him and chatted with him happily until they heard the bell ring. Morning classes went by quicker that she was ready for them to. He met her outside her fourth period after it was over and she sighed. They walked together to the cafeteria and she led him to where they usually sat. Jenna was the first to show up sitting her stuff down across from dawn giving her a little smirk that made her blush before going to get in the lunch line. 

Cal and Becky came soon after Becky also giving her a little smirk. Cal, however, looked very confused and it was obvious Jenna and Becky hadn't been filling him in on the latest gossip. She rested her head on Ogie's shoulder waiting for them to come back. Jenna sat down soon after with a big grin on her face and Dawn cringed looking down at the ground. They started talking to each other and she tuned it out due to nervousness. She saw Becky and Cal sit down next to Jenna and smiled seeing them introduce themselves. 

Eventually, she joined in on the conversation. She was glad that they seemed to be getting along. When lunch was over they walked with each other to theatre smiling. She was still nervous about what Jenna was going to say during the next period though for now she just leaned up against him. Once the bell rang she braced herself before going to her next class. Seeing that they still had the sub she sat down next to Jenna once again.

Jenna grinned at her and she got nervous. "Please say what you're gonna say before I combust." Jenna laughed. "I'm not gonna say anything bad calm down." She nodded and Jenna smiled at her. "He's got potential Dawn, and he seems to really like you." "Think so?" "I do. He's a good guy Dawn." She smiled widely nodding. "Ok. Good." "I'm rooting for you two Dawn. Don't let me down." "I won't."


End file.
